Directs the Election Commission to respond in the matter till March 25 New Delhi,: Hearing a petition filed by 21 opposition parties demanding the...

Directs the Election Commission to respond in the matter till March 25

New Delhi,: Hearing a petition filed by 21 opposition parties demanding the random verification of at least 50 per cent EVMs using VVPAT in every Assembly segment or constituency, the Supreme Court has today directed the Election Commission to respond in the matter till March 25.

The Court has also directed the Commission to depute a suitable officer on March 25 to assist the Court in this matter.

The petition said that free and fair elections was part of the basic structure of the Constitution. It quoted the Apex Court's judgment in the Dr Subramanian Swamy case in 2013, which held that the paper trail for EVM has been held to be an indispensable requirement of free and fair elections, thereby making VVPAT inherent in and intrinsic to the very basic structure.